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Eating Up New Orleans
"My dentists will love the fact that I’ve eaten pralines every day and I have made a point of drinking sodas that I cannot find in the Bay. If it’s fried or coated in butter, I have probably eaten it in the last week."
By Patrick Johnson
From visiting local high schools and interviewing students to eating tons of pralines and drinking rare brands of soda...Youth Radio's Patrick Johnson is loving New Orleans as he reflects on his experience through this latest blog. As Patrick gets ready to leave and return to the Bay Area, he gives thanks (and props!) to all the people and institutions that showed him the culture and spirit of New Orleans...beyond tourism cliques.
As I approach the end of our time here in New Orleans, I am optimistic about the city’s future if it is placed in the hands of its young people. We have met some amazing young folks. Today we interviewed a group of juniors and seniors at the New Orleans Charter Science and Mathematics High School.
The students told their stories of surviving the first days of Hurricane Katrina, the problems they faced adjusting to new surroundings and the differences between their current high school and the one they attended before Katrina.
There are students who travel from as far away as Baton Rogue to attend Science and Mathematics school. I was impressed by their ability to question how history will remember Katrina and their desire to preserve New Orleans culture. I also got an opportunity to see homes in St. Bernard Parish, a largely white middle class area right outside of New Orleans, that were extensively damaged. The property damage there rivaled any we have seen. However, there are those in the parish who are rebuilding.
Up until recently, residents were forced to drive as far as an hour away for groceries. Even a year after the storm, there are still some streetlights out. Being back in the South for the first time in a few years there was one thing that I had to do. Growing up in
Mississippi, my uncle and I used to regularly make the three-hour ride from our hometown to Jackson. As much as I loved going to Jackson to visit my family, I was also excited to eat at Krystal’s.
Krystal's serves little square hamburgers that most closely resemble White Castle hamburgers. As I walked in the French Quarter, I figured it would be great to take a trip down memory lane. Some things, however, are best left in the past and Krystal’s is one of them. I lifted my ban on beef for two of the worst cheeseburgers I have ever had, in a restaurant that was nowhere near clean, in a city that offers tons of great culinary choices.
In some cases you can’t go home again, and in the case of the Krystal’s burgers this is all too true.
However, Krystal’s not withstanding, the food here in New Orleans has been excellent. I started my trip by making notes about every meal. After awhile it became impossible to keep track of everything we’ve eaten, and I decided to only comment on the memorable meals. I tasted the spiciest vanilla ice cream known to man (where else in the country can someone get vanilla ice cream with Creole seasoning?).
My dentists will love the fact that I’ve eaten pralines every day and I have made a point of drinking sodas that I cannot find in the Bay. If it’s fried or coated in butter, I have probably eaten it in the last week. The scale will be unkind once I return, but I could care less. We have had our share of home cooked meals as well. People in this city take their food very seriously.
But at this point, I am exhausted, and it’s not just from eating. I’ve gotten a chance to see one of the truly unique cities in the world, not just as a tourist, but through close interactions with the people and institutions of New Orleans. I’m grateful to the city and its people for embracing us and sharing their lives and their culture.
Now, it’s up to us to go back and not just rehash what has already been told, but to highlight aspects of the city that reporters have neglected to cover – its young people and its culture beyond riverboats and Bourbon Street.
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